Tobacco.org

• SPAIN SPLIT ON SMOKING BAN 

Originally set to be implemented on the 1st of January this year, the smoking ban is still being debated in the halls of power here in Spain with opposition parties failing to agree and Madrid setting its own rules.

Spain’s Health Minister Trinidad Jiménez has stated that she wants a new tobacco ban prohibiting smoking in all public places throughout Spain to go into effect as soon as the ruling Socialist Party can gather cross party support for its ratification by Congress.

TheUnited Left (IU) and Catalan Nationalist (CiU) approve the across-the-board ban but the major opposition Popular Party has not officially said whether it will support it. However, Madrid regional health chief Juan José Güemes, a member of thePP, said Monday he didn’t believe that the ban would work in the capital. “You never get good results from banning something,” Güemes said. “Restrictions mean curtailing freedoms and you have to be very careful about limiting individual guarantees.”

Deputy leader of the Madrid region, Ignacio González, also of the PP, said that his government would defend smokers’ rights

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Area smoking complaints on the decline 

The number of complaints filed this year under a law banning smoking in almost all public places -- from bars to movie theaters and workplaces -- was on the decline in many Jacksonville-area counties while rising statewide.

Friday marks the two-year anniversary of the law being put into place.

Morgan County reported complaints against seven businesses in 2008, two of which were fined for violations of the Smoke-Free Illinois Act, according to tobacco program coordinator Bonnie Mueller. This year, three complaints were received and one bar in Waverly is being threatened with a fine, which is being handled by Waverly police and city officials. There is one other business that has received a complaint, but a letter has not been sent yet.

"I think there's still things going on that haven't been reported. We think that most people are complying,"

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Hookah bars are snuffed out in Worth, Palos Hills 

he spends time at Friends Cafe and Lounge, a hookah bar in Worth where he takes puffs of sweet fruit-flavored tobacco from a large water pipe. After spending nearly every night there for three years, Taleb will have to find a new hangout.

"This is a good place to chill. Now we'll have nowhere to go," Taleb said before the place was forced to close Jan. 1 when the village tightened its no smoking ordinance, outlawing smoking in all public places.

That included tobacco stores where smoking previously was allowed, leading to the closure of two package tobacco stores as well as two hookah lounges -- Friends and Havana Cafe.

Nearby Palos Hills also tightened its anti-smoking ordinance just weeks ago, affecting the Royale Lounge, a controversial hookah bar that had been operating since May.

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Hookah bar to open in W-B  

Michael Pasquini has proposed to open the city's first hookah bar.

He will appear before the Zoning Hearing Board on Jan. 20 at 4:30 p.m., asking for approval to open his proposed Crimson Lion Hookah and Coffee Lounge at 35-37 E. South St. A dress shop there, Designer Gallery Galina, will relocate to 216 S. Washington St.

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POLITO: Five facts Chantix ads keep hidden 

1. Cold turkey quit smoking rates are likely superior to Chantix . . .

2. Without support Chantix is probably worthless. . . .

3. Placebo-controlled Chantix studies were not science-based. . . .

4. Pfizer's "I honestly loved smoking" marketing campaign toys with smokers. . . .

5. Full obedience to the "Law of Addiction" provides 100% odds of success. . . .

So long as no nicotine enters your bloodstream success is guaranteed. What Pfizer will never teach smokers is that cold turkey accounts for far more long-term success stories each year than all other quitting methods combined. Cold turkey does not mean quitting without counseling or support. It means ending nicotine use abruptly, without use of replacement nicotine or imitation substitutes. The body becomes nicotine-free and withdrawal peaks in intensity within 72 hours of ending all nicotine use. The brain works overtime to re-sensitize dopamine pathway receptors and down-regulate receptor counts. But just one puff of nicotine and up to 50% of nicotinic-type receptors will become occupied by nicotine. Although you make think you have gotten away with smoking, relapse is all but assured, as the brain will soon be begging for more.

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WhyQuit's Famous Young Smoking and Tobacco Victims 

Patrick Swayze, Smoker, Dead at 57 . . .

"Punch" Andrews - age 43 - March 30, 2008

Bill Hicks (YB), 32, comedian * pancreatic cancer

Lorraine Hansberry, 34, playwright (Raisin in the Sun) pancreatic cancer

Luiz Jose Costa, 36, Brazilian music star * lung cancer

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Editorial: It's the smart thing to do  

Kudos to Widener University for taking steps to ban smoking on its campuses, both indoors and out. Other area colleges and universities should follow Widener's lead. For that matter, so should other institutions, including all hospitals and government facilities. The move would help promote public health and reduce health-care costs.

Inhaling secondhand smoke is estimated to cause 3,000 lung cancer deaths and 46,000 heart disease deaths in the United States each year . . .

The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education tried to institute a ban in 2008 on its 14 campuses, which include West Chester and Cheyney Universities. But the state labor relations board said bans would have to be negotiated with employee unions. . . .

Taxpayers fund these institutions. If employees are getting sick from secondhand smoke, then taxpayers are footing their health-care costs. Not to mention the lost work time for those who get sick and for those who step outside for cigarette breaks.

Likewise, Mayor Nutter could lead the way in Philadelphia by banning smoking outside of City Hall and on other city property.

In addition to promoting public health and reducing health insurance costs, the ban would be a great marketing tool for the schools, the state, and the city.

Follow Widener.

It is silly for the tail to wag the dog.

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Tobacco mules smoked out by customs 

FESTIVE tobacco traffickers had their Christmas Day smuggling scam stubbed out.

A gang of six passengers were arrested after their luggage was found to be packed full of 200 kilos of hand-rolling tobacco and more than 20,000 cigarettes.

They had tried to sneak the cargo into Tyneside after arriving on a flight from Tenerife.

But HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) officers were lying in wait and swooped to recover the goods. . . .

It is the second time villains have tried to stage smuggling missions during the yuletide season. . . .

Gang bosses are known to recruit mules, buying them budget flights and giving them pocket money in exchange for bringing huge quantities of tobacco back into the region for sale in clubs, pubs, factories and even from houses.

The six people arrested this Christmas Day had arrived into Newcastle at around 9.15pm.

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• Report Finds Golden LEAF Unnecessary, Redundant 

An examination by the Civitas Institute of Golden LEAF's grant making priorities and history suggests that the organization offers no unique benefits to the State of North Carolina.

Because so many other state agencies and state-funded entities already fund the same causes, the tobacco settlement money could still be spent on the exact same programs as are currently funded by Golden LEAF, even if Golden LEAF didn't exist.

"It makes little sense for millions of the state's dollars to be spent on operational costs for a redundant organization headed by political cronies with no accountability to citizens," said Civitas Policy Analyst Brian Balfour.

Civitas analyzed grant-making programs and funding efforts contained in existing government entities and compared those to the organizational goals of Golden LEAF and found significant overlap in programs and "impact areas." A

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• Contribution of Tobacco Smoke Exposure to Learning Disabilities. 

Design: A nationally representative, cross-sectional survey conducted in the United States, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999 to 2002, was used to explore the association between reported learning disability and exposure to PTS and ETS. . . .

Results: Overall, 10.6% of children had a parent-reported learning disability (LD), exceeding previous estimates. Exposure to PTS (odds ratio [OR] = 1.6) and ETS (OR = 1.6) were significantly associated with increased odds for LD in children, with a greater odds noted (OR = 2.6) when exposed to PTS and ETS.

Conclusion: Exposure to tobacco smoke significantly increases the odds for children to have a learning disability. Overall, results indicate that if tobacco exposure is causally associated to LD, eliminating exposures could prevent an estimated 750,000 of parent-reported learning disabilities in the United States. Results underscore the need for diligence in the promotion of smoking prevention and cessation efforts.

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Manitowoc foundry snuffs smoking  

Dave Brandt believes he can quit smoking.

"No problem," the Manitowoc Grey Iron Foundry worker said Tuesday, puffing away in mid-20 degree temperatures.

"I've cut down from a pack a day to five or six (cigarettes) ... I do have one with a drink," said Brandt, 42, who said he began smoking regularly as a teenager.

He is enrolled in a smoking cessation program at Holy Family Memorial, underwritten by the company.

Its president, Rob Peaslee, said the days of foundry workers smoking on the job, as they pour hot metal, are gone forever. . . .

A fine line exists between invasion of privacy and business owners trying to assist employees with adopting healthier lifestyles, Peaslee said. "We don't want a Gestapo mentality."

His wife and administrative assistant, Vickie Peaslee, coordinates the foundry's health and wellness programs.

"We will be allowing nicotine inhalers," she said of the prescription product that doesn't create secondhand smoke.

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Tobacco Merchant faces city's smoking ban 

The city of Columbia is considering what could be a landmark decision in their approach to a city-wide smoking ban in bars and restaurants.

The Tobacco Merchant on Bower Parkway is at the center of the debate. The Columbia specialty shop has been in business since 1997, and for long-time customer David Brock, it’s become a place to unwind.

“Great selection of cigars. Probably the best in the South,” says David Brock. "To me, the alcohol is so incidental, that’s not why we come here."

His after-work hangout is being threatened. The City of Columbia is considering suing the shop for violating the city’s smoking ban, but according to the way the ordinance is written, specialty shops like the Tobacco Merchant are exempt.

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Columbia Tobacco Bar Faces Lawsuit Over Smoking Ban  

"We don't believe a lawsuit is proper. If they want to file a lawsuit, we will countersuit,"said Darryl Smalls, attorney for owners of the Tobacco Merchant on Bower Parkway in Columbia. They're bracing for what could be the first lawsuit over the city's ordinance prohibiting smoking in bars and other businesses.

"They are attacking the Tobacco Merchant on two fronts. One, on the zoning issue,"said Smalls, referring to whether the cigar bar can sell beer and wine on the property.

"And second, on the smoking issue,"said Smalls.

But the zoning issue disputes are still a week away. On Wednesday night, Smalls and the tobacco business owers challenged city council and a resolution that could authorize civil action against the business for violating the smoking law.

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Reaction to proposed Columbia smoking ban lawsuit 

City Council members are set to consider filing suit against a Columbia tobacco store Wednesday, in what would be the first attempt to enforce the city's smoking ban in effect since October 2008.

At issue is a dispute between the city and The Tobacco Merchant on Bower Parkway. Columbia's ban prohibits smoking in all workplaces, including bars and restaurants, but it exempts stores that mainly sell tobacco products.

The Tobacco Merchant has been open in Harbison since 1997 selling mainly cigars, pipes and other tobacco items. In early 2009 the store added a bar after the city approved its license request to also sell beer. City officials now say that addition categorizes the store as a bar, and makes smoking illegal, regardless of the fact that the majority of sales are still tobacco related.

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Richmond levies new fee on alcohol, tobacco retailers  

Businesses that sell alcohol, cigarettes and other tobacco products may soon pay a new fee to operate in Richmond.

The stores would pay at least $950 a year to cover the cost of inspections and decoy operations to ensure merchants aren't selling to minors or breaking the law in other ways. Those that sell both tobacco and alcohol would be charged $50 more for the additional inspection.

The City Council approved the concept of the law Tuesday. Officials will continue crafting the details, including possibly increasing fees to cover costs and exempting law-abiding stores from future inspections if they pass the first one.

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